


Lingerings of You

by WillietheOctopus



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Humanstuck, M/M, erikar - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-11
Updated: 2013-04-25
Packaged: 2017-12-04 23:34:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/716333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WillietheOctopus/pseuds/WillietheOctopus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>And finally the first chapter is up! I promise this is not the end and it will get so much better as we continue! A slight trigger warning for thoughts of suicide in this chapter. No more in later chapters, though. Also, any thing related to this fic will be posted in the tags "#lingerings of you" and "#loy" on tumblr C:</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> And finally the first chapter is up! I promise this is not the end and it will get so much better as we continue! A slight trigger warning for thoughts of suicide in this chapter. No more in later chapters, though. Also, any thing related to this fic will be posted in the tags "#lingerings of you" and "#loy" on tumblr C:

                As he drove down the street, Eridan's mind strayed to the boy sitting next to him and the box burning a hole in his pocket. He had been planning this proposal for a while, every detail thought out, everything done so that it would be the perfect plan. He would take Karkat to the park where they had their first date, they would have a picnic, and just as the sun sets, Eridan would get on one knee and open the box, revealing a ring that was the epitome of beautiful. It was the perfect plan and it sure as hell was going to woo Karkat into saying yes. He stopped at a red light, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel with a bit of anxiety, not wanting anything to go wrong and terrified something would. As the light turned green, he drove forward and looked over at Karkat, his worries being eased at the others placid expression. Karkat turned and looked at Eridan and smiled, not seeing the semi-truck barreling toward their car, Eridan barely seeing it. As he saw it approaching, his face fell and his eyes grew wide, his heart skipping a beat, his foot slamming down on the break in hopes of getting out of the way of truck, but in the back of his mind, knowing there was no hope of that happening. It was almost as if the entire thing was happening in slow motion, yet it was happening to fast for Eridan to do something. The glass on Karkat’s window shattered, sending the shards flying toward the back of Karkat’s head and partially Eridan’s face, only a few grazing his cheek. The car was pushed off the road and rolled once, landing them in a grassy area and upside down. Eridan crawled out of his side of the car, a little sore with some cuts and bruises, but all together fine. He looked for the truck, but it was gone, probably driving off once seeing the car roll. He hurried over to Karkat’s side of the car, filled with a feeling of dread, knowing something was wrong. Karkat was limp and his chest barely moving. The taller pulled Karkat out of the car and held him in his arms, his eyes swelling with tears as Karkat’s breaths grew more and more shallow. He only noticed that the man in his arms was bleeding when he felt wetness on his arm. He inspected what was lying on said arm, the back of Karkat’s head, and was shocked by the amount of blood pouring out. He looked at Karkat’s body, now seeing all the blood that just seemed to keep coming, never stopping. He looked down at himself that he was covered in a bit as well, although not as much and it definitely not being his own.   
            “God dammit, Kar. Don’t leave me. C’mon. You can make it. I know you can. Just let me call 911,” Eridan mumbled, fumbling for his phone, unlocking it and dialing 911, smudging a bit of blood on the phone, but he didn’t care. Karkat looked up at Eridan, blinking slowly, it obviously taking quite a bit of work to do so. Tears were falling down Eridan’s cheek as the operator on the other line asked him what his emergency was.  
            “There was a car wreck. Please help. He’s goin’ to die,” Eridan whimpered, holding Karkat even tighter. He mumbled the street intersection they were at when the woman asked, but other than that, he could barely hear what she said, too focused on the colour draining from Karkat’s face and how he grew more and more limp.   
            “I love you so much, Eridan,” Karkat mumbled, closing his eyes after the words left his lips.  
            “I love you, too, Kar. More than you’ll ever know,” the other said, pressing a desperate kiss to Karkat’s lips, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth and its awful smell filling his nose.

            Eridan barely heard the sirens. He barely felt the shock blanket being put around him. He could barely tell there was anyone else there until he felt someone try and pry Karkat from his hands, to which he protested greatly, but it was no use, being too weak at the moment to try and fight it. They said Karkat died of blood loss, apparently being a hemophiliac, something that he had been hiding from Eridan and most of his friends. The rest that happened that day was somewhat of a blur. He remembered being driven to the hospital to get checked out. Just a few scratches and a major bruise on his right hip. Nothing about which to worry. A therapist talked to him for a bit. Just in shock from losing someone close. Nothing about which to worry. He wasn’t sure who drove him home. He can only assume they got the address from his license. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of his door, his key held tightly in his trembling hand. He put the key in the door and trudged into the house. It felt empty without Karkat. It didn’t feel like home. It never would again. It was just walls with no roof. There was no home without Karkat there. Eridan made his way to his bedroom, falling onto his bed. Their bed. The small box in his pocket dug into his thigh, reminding him that it was still there. He dug it out and looked at it, opening the box and staring at ring inside. It wasn’t on Karkat’s finger like it should be. It was still in the box. It was staring at him. Reminding him that Karkat wasn’t there. Reminding him of how Karkat would still be there if Eridan hadn’t come up with the plan. If it wasn’t for that damned ring and Eridan’s damned desire, he would still have his boyfriend. Eridan let out a sob and closed the box, tossing it somewhere in the room, not really caring where it went.

            Karkat woke up with a start. He didn’t really quite remember going to sleep, but he wasn’t going to argue that much. For some reason he was on the couch, but he quickly remedied that, getting up and stretching. He made his way to the bedroom, figuring that’s where Eridan would be. Not surprisingly, Karkat was right, Eridan lying on his side under blankets, facing away from Karkat.   
            “You’re so lazy. It’s time to get, dick wad,” Karkat said in a teasing manner, plopping onto the bed, a little shocked when it didn’t move like it usually did. Maybe he had lost some weight recently. Eridan didn’t respond, not even turning over or acknowledging Karkat’s presence.   
            “C’mon, you asshole. I know you can hear me,” Karkat grumbled scooting closer to Eridan, placing a hand on Eridan’s shoulder, trying to shake up, but for some reason, Karkat couldn’t move Eridan at all. The taller male shivered and turned to face Karkat, showing the few cuts he had on his pale face. The shorter male traced his fingers along the cuts on his cheeks, confused as to from where they could have come. As he touched the other’s face, it all came back to him. The drive to the park. The crash. Dying in Eridan’s arms. The last thing being a kiss before Karkat’s life slipped from his hands. The only thing that Karkat could figure was that his afterlife meant being in this house. Always seeing Eridan, but never interacting with him. Hearing his voice, but never conversing with him. It was like his personal circle of hell. Depression consuming him, Karkat took a deep breath and closed his eyes, hoping that if he closed his eyes, he would wake from this horrid nightmare.

            Karkat wandered around the house for the most part, occasionally checking up on Eridan, feeling even worse because he couldn’t cheer up the depressed male. He would do anything to be able to actually touch Eridan or talk to him or anything. He missed him so much even though Eridan was right there. For the most part, everything was dull and boring and extremely miserable. Karkat wandered down the hallway, going to Eridan’s bedroom, a bit surprised to see that Eridan had gotten out of bed. He saw the light in the bathroom with the door cracked open and went inside, opening the door slightly as he did. Karkat’s eyes grew wide as he saw Eridan staring at himself, tears welling in his eyes, a mass amount of pills in his hands.   
            “What the hell are you doing?” Karkat asked, forgetting that Eridan couldn’t hear him. Taking a deep breath and swallowing the lump in his throat, Eridan brought the pills up to his lips.  
            “Don’t do it. For the love of everything, don’t! It’s not worth it! I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH TO LET YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF,” Karkat screamed, trying to do everything in his power to push the pills out of the others hands. Somehow, and Karkat will never understand how, the pills fell out of Eridan’s hands, spilling all over the floor.  
            “Damn shaky hands,” Eridan cursed under his breath as he grabbed the pill bottle and poured the rest into his empty palm.  
            “Stop this, Eridan. This is stupid as fuck. This is the dumbest idea you’ve ever fucking had. God dammit, I don’t want to completely lose you,” Karkat sobbed, pounding his fists against Eridan, having no effect on the taller male. Just as Eridan was about to swallow the pills, a knock came to the door. Eridan paused and stood still, almost as if doing so would make the other person leave.   
            “Eridan? Eridan are you alright?” a high pitched voice called out. Eridan remained quiet, still clutching the pills and thoughts of suicide.   
            After a few more moments of silence, the door opened and the voice called out, “Eridan, I’m coming in!” As the light footsteps of the girl came closer to the room, Eridan shoved all the pills in his mouth in a hurry. Feferi turned the corner and looked in the bathroom, finding Eridan with his mouth full of pills. She shrieked and immediately began pounding her fists on Eridan’s chest, demanding he spit them out. He shook his head stubbornly, refusing to do so. Feferi ceased her pounding and put one hand on her hip and held the other out.  
            “In my hand. Spit them out in my hand,” she commanded. Eridan glared at her for a few seconds, but she glared right back, and eventually Eridan caved, spitting every pill out into her hands, frowning as he watched her throw them away. Karkat watched as this all happened, thankful that she had come in when she had. He didn’t know much about Feferi, only knowing her from old photos that Eridan and the stories he would tell Karkat. They used to be the best of friends until things went horribly sour when Eridan confessed his feelings, Feferi didn’t feel the same and then began seeing someone else, leading to them having a huge argument, Eridan getting in a fight with a guy and then storming off, not speaking to her for a while.  
            “Fef, what are you doin’ here?” Eridan croaked out as she led him back to the bed.  
            “I heard about the wreck and you losing Karkat so I thought I’d stop by and see how you’re doing. Thank goodness I did,” she said. Once Eridan was lying down, Feferi laid a blanket over him and tucking him in slightly.  
            “Eridan what were you thinking?” Feferi asked, sitting on the bed next to Eridan who was lying on his side with his back facing Feferi. Karkat crawled onto the bed and sat next to Feferi, interested in what was to be said.  
            “I was thinkin’ that I was tired a’ this world an’ a’ livin’. He kept me goin’. Now I’m in a depression I can’t shake. It’s consumin’ me. Swallowin’ me whole. It’s like giant rocks on my chest an’ some asshole keeps addin’ more an’ more an’ it finally got to where there were too many rocks. I was crushed,” Eridan mumbled, his back shaking and his voice wavering with sobs.  
            “Now I don’t know him, but I think he would have wanted you to survive, to keep on going,” Feferi mumbled, gently rubbing Eridan’s back.  
            “Finally someone around here is thinking straight and knows what the fuck is up,” Karkat exclaimed, throwing his hands to the sky.

            That night, Feferi stayed over, making sure that Eridan was safe and didn’t attempt to take his own life anymore. Karkat stayed right next to both of them, glad that now Eridan had someone to take care of him, but only wishing that person could be him.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember to follow the tag "l.o.y" or "lingerings of you" for updates or any kind of fan art! Also, if you want me to see anything related to this fic, I follow both of those tags :)

                Since the day that she walked in on Eridan’s suicide attempt, Feferi had declared that she would see to his being taken care of and his being healthy and happy again. In doing so, she took the guest bedroom they had and was now spending the night at the house. Eridan didn’t protest much, although whether it was because he didn’t care or just didn’t want to talk, no one knew. Karkat stayed by Eridan’s side as much as he could. God, he missed him. The deceased man didn’t even know he could miss someone this much. It hurt. It was a pain he couldn’t place and couldn’t get to go away. Currently, Karkat was lying on the bed next to Eridan, staring at the other’s vacant stare, remembering when his face was brightened with a smile, the way his smile was always a bit lopsided, the way he had the cutest dimples and absolutely hated them, the way he would crinkle his nose, the way he would snort if you got him to laugh hard enough. Karkat smiled softly as tears rolled down his cheeks. He didn’t even know ghosts could cry. The tears hit the pillow beneath his head, but didn’t make a stain. There was no trace that he was even there. With a loud sigh, Karkat caressed Eridan’s cheek. As it always had been, Eridan didn’t notice the touch, but a shiver ran through him. That was Karkat’s only way of communicating with his love. He supposed it would have to do. He was about to place his hand to Eridan’s cheek again when the door opened loudly and Feferi’s singing echoed throughout the house.  
                “ _Slowly sinking, wasting_ _/Crumbling like pastries/And they scream/The worst things in life come free to us/’Cause we're just under the upper hand/Go mad for a couple grams/And she don't want to go outside tonight/And in a pipe she flies to the Motherland/Or sells love to another man/It's too cold outside/For angels to fly/Angels to fly_ ” Feferi’s voice sang out.  
                “ _Ripped gloves, raincoat/Tried to swim, stay afloat_ ,” Eridan croaked out from where he was lying. Karkat was a little shocked at the sudden singing from the other, but he didn’t mind it, missing all the times that the other would sing to him. There was the sound of some plastic bags rustling and things being set down before Feferi rushed into the room, jumping onto the bed, landing right where Karkat was. It didn’t hurt. It was weird, but not painful. At least physically. It was just a reminder that to them, he wasn’t there. He was nothing. He moved away and sat on the edge of the bed, watching the other two.   
                “Fef, stop jumpin’ around,” Eridan mumbled, frowning up at her.  
                “No way! I heard you sing the next lines! Do you know how **exciting** that is?” Feferi exclaimed, still bouncing around.  
                “Apparently I don’t,” Eridan grumbled, attempting to turn around and face away from Feferi, but the excited girl keeping him from doing so.   
                “Whatever. C’mon Eridan. Time to get out of bed!” she said, pulling on Eridan’s hands to try and get him up, succeeding in only rolling him over.   
                “No. I’m not gettin’ up an’ there’s no way you’re goin’ to make me.”  
                “You’re going to fat and gross if you keep floundering around. I bet you’ve already got a gut!”  
                “Fuck you.”  
                “No thank you. Now come _ooooooon_. I’ve got something for us to do!” Eridan shook his head again so Feferi crossed her arms and huffed.   
                “You asked for this,” she called out before standing up on the bed and rolling him onto his back, then grabbing his arms and pulling him off the bed. Eridan still refused to move, simply hanging limp and letting Feferi pull him along. Feferi rolled her eyes and dragged Eridan all the way into the kitchen, lying in the middle of the ground once in there. Karkat walked behind them, laughing a little bit at how ridiculous the two of them were being. He was shocked at his own laughter, the sound almost as foreign to him as the sound of Eridan’s laugh. He had missed both of those.  
                “That wasn’t necessary in the slightest,” Eridan pouted, sitting up on the ground, but not standing.   
                “It was too. Now get up and wait here. _I’ll_ go get your glasses and some clothes for you. You don’t get to go back in there and lie down.” With that Feferi bounced off to Eridan’s bedroom. Eridan sighed and stood up, looking around at what had been gathered at the store. Karkat stood by Eridan, marveling the way that Eridan still looked great, yet like the most torn down man in the world. He was a pitiful Jupiter. It broke Karkat’s heart.

                “What’s this?” Feferi asked, walking back into the kitchen, clothes, glasses, and a velvet box in her hands. Eridan had been holding a box of cake mix that Feferi had bought, probably intending to make earlier. The moment he saw the box, he dropped the cake mix and his eyes welled with tears. Feferi cocked her head to the side and she looked at the box and then back at Eridan. Karkat knew what the box was and what was inside of it immediately. That was for him. That was going to be his on that day. That’s what they were doing. He had the chance of being happy and with the man he loved forever, but that was ripped away from him.  
                “That’s the box containin’ the ring I was goin’ to give Kar,” Eridan said coldly, looking away from the damned box, his head hung as he stared at the floor. Feferi’s face fell as she realized what she had done. She set the box down and went over to Eridan, hugging from behind.   
                “I bet it’s beautiful and he would think it is, too.”   
                “He was the one who had picked it out. He looked in the window an’ said it was the perfect ring. I had to get it for him.”  
                “Maybe we should get a chain for it. Then you could always wear it and remember him,” Feferi suggested.   
                “Do you think that would be a good idea?” Eridan asked, his head perking up as he turned around to face Feferi, the girl’s arms still around him.  
                “I really do. I think it’s what he would want,” Feferi said, grinning up at Eridan, hugging him tight. Eridan didn’t smile back, but he did hug her in return, that being enough for Feferi. Karkat leaned against one of the counters, tears once again coming to his eyes. As much as he hated to admit it, he didn’t want that ring on Eridan’s neck. He wanted it on his own finger, but he supposed he could live with it if it did as Feferi said it would. At least he would be remembered. Feferi pulled away from the hug and bent down to get the box of cake mix.  
                “C’mon. How about we make this now?” Feferi asked. Eridan nodded, went to the bathroom and changed clothes, put his glasses on, and once he returned to the kitchen, he pulled out the pans that would be needed while Feferi got out the ingredients she had gotten from the store. As Feferi mixed, Eridan sat on one of the cabinets and swung his feet.  
                “So, is that boyfriend a’ yours okay with you spendin’ this much time over here?” Eridan asked.  
                “I don’t have a boyfriend,” Feferi replied, looking over her shoulder at Eridan as if he was crazy.  
                “I thought you were datin’ that one lispin’ asshole.”  
                “Oh, Sollux and I broke up about a month ago.”  
                “Oh. Sorry to bring it up.”  
                “It’s fine! He reconnected with an ex girlfriend he thought was dead and well, they kind of fell in love. Who was I to stop them?”  
                “So you aren’t hurt at all by it?”  
                “Well, I was heartbroken for a bit, but eventually I got over it. Now we’re all really good friends! Aradia is great and Sollux is still a good guy!”   
                “I still don’t like the fact that he hurt you.”  
                “It’s fine, Eridan, “ Feferi said, turning around to face Eridan, placing her hands on his knees and looking into his eyes, “It made me realize that truly loving someone means wanting him or her to be happy, even if that means you aren’t the source of that happiness.” Eridan stared at Feferi, everything around her blurry, but her hazel eyes in clear view, her pink-framed glasses sliding down her nose, her thick and long lashes casting shadows on her cheeks. Karkat saw the way they were staring at each other and he all but lost it. That was his. She couldn’t have him.   
                “You can’t take him completely away from me. He’s fucking mine. Stay the fuck away from him, you cunt-licking wang hat!” Karkat shouted, running over to Feferi and banging his fists on her.  
                “Oh gosh, it got really cold suddenly!” Feferi said, pulling away from Eridan and fixing her sliding glasses. Karkat fell to the ground, weeping loudly, not that the others could hear him. The words that Feferi had said echoed in his head. _Truly loving someone means wanting him or her to be happy, even if that means you aren’t the source of that happiness_. He looked up at Eridan and sighed. He was going to have to live with that now, wasn’t he?  
                “So tell me, how did you and Karkat meet?” Feferi asked, pouring cake mix into a pan. Eridan looked at Feferi for a few seconds as if she had spoken a different language.  
                “Is that something I shouldn’t have asked?” Feferi asked with concern weaved into her voice.  
                “No, it’s just, I haven’t thought of that in so long. It was at a party. A mutual friend was hostin’ it. I saw Kar an’ was immediately drawn to him. I just knew I had to talk to him. Had to get his name an’ number. It was like love at first sight. Kar, however, wanted nothin’ to do with me, although later when we talked about it, he denied that part up an’ down. Everytime I would ask for his number, he would say there was no way he was goin’ to hook up with ‘some horny asshole.’ I was able to get his name, though. So, finally seein’ that I had to do more to catch his interest, I went up to the karaoke machine they had up an’ said ‘This is for you, Kar’ an’ then I sang ‘I’ve Just Seen a Face’ by The Beatles. I embarrassed myself completely an’ was bright fuckin’ red by the time I got done, but afterwards, he came up to me and asked if I wanted to ditch the party an’ go grab some coffee an’ see if we hit it off. I agreed an’ God, when we talked, it was the best. I had never been happier in my entire life. It was like I was just existin’ until that moment,” Eridan explained, looking down at the floor as he fondly recalled the memories. Karkat smiled as he remembered that night as well. He looked over at Eridan and saw the smile on his lips, a feeling of joy erupting throughout the ghost. That smile! It was there! It was finally there! That crinkle in his nose was back! Those dimples were as plain as daylight! Feferi seemed to notice as well, squeaking as she set the cake in the oven and then ran over hugged Eridan.   
                “What the fuck are you doin’, Fef?” Eridan asked, in shock by the sudden hug.   
                “You’re smiling! I was almost convinced that you had forgotten how to do that!” Eridan chuckled a bit and ran hand through his hair. Karkat sighed, that chuckle being music to his ears.  
                “I was almost startin’ to think I had as well. I guess it feels great to smile again,” Eridan admitted. Karkat got off the floor and leaned against the cabinets again, looking at Eridan. Feferi was right in every way with what she said earlier. Karkat wished it was him who was there with him now, who had prompted the memories that made him smile, but simply being there, knowing that his love could still smile, that was one of the best feelings in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No clue when I'll get chapter 3 out, but I'll try to do so as quickly as I can!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember to track either the tag "#lingerings of you" or "#l.o.y" for updates and fanart!  
> Also, as usual, let me know if you spot an error!

                It was one of the rare moments where Karkat and Eridan were alone. Kind of. Feferi was out getting groceries while Eridan was home playing video games, Karkat sitting behind him and yelling, just as he used to do.  
                “What the fuck are you doing? You just passed up the best fucking gun in the game,” Karkat said, wishing that he was playing against the live male so that he could kick his ass.   
                “God, despite everything, you still suck balls,” Karkat mumbled, rolling his eyes, “and at games, not in real life.” Karkat sighed. It was difficult trying to deal with this. He didn’t even know how long it had been and it was still not long enough for him to adjust to it all.   
                “Eriiiiidaaaaaaan! I’m hooooooome!” Feferi called out as she came through the door, a brown paper sack in her arm.  
                “Are there anymore I need to get?” Eridan asked, looking up at the brown haired girl that had walked into his house, letting the sunlight flood into the room, both from the sunlight and her personality.  
                “There are a few more in the backseat. Would you mind getting them?” she called out, placing the bag down in the kitchen. Eridan paused the game and walked to the door frame, standing there and staring out at the car. He hadn’t been outside since he had come home that day, and although he didn’t know why, the thought of going out there terrified him.   
                “C’mon, the sun won’t kill you!” Feferi teased, gently shoving his shoulder, causing Eridan to stumble and move to outside on the porch. After that, Eridan stood perfectly still, his eyes fixated on the ground. Feferi paused and then looked at Eridan, it then registering in her mind what was going on.   
                “Let’s get you inside,” Feferi mumbled, ushering the male inside and sitting him down on the couch before going and getting the rest of the groceries. After setting them down in the kitchen, she went and sat next to Eridan, a concerned look on her face.  
                “Eridan, eventually you’re going to have to go outside or see people other than me.”  
                “I don’t want to. I’m fine like this. I have you to go get stuff an’ I’ll be just fine.”  
                “No you won’t. Now think, is this what Karkat would have wanted?” Eridan turned and all but snapped his teeth at her, his glare ferocious and terrifying.  
                “Don’t you _dare_ ask if this is what Kar would have wanted. **Do not** play that card with me,” Eridan growled, his entire face resembling a wild beast. Instead of cowering back, Feferi puffed out her chest, determined not to let him win.  
                “I’m not playing any card. I’m asking you an honest question. If he loved you, if he truly loved you, he would have wanted you to go on, to continue, to go out and live, and if you truly loved, no _love_ him, you’ll honor that,” Feferi said, determination burning in her eyes. Eridan stared at her for a bit before backing down, curling up into himself, his face in his hands as he choked out a sob. Feferi sighed and placed a comforting hand on his back.  
                “Look, I won’t make you go outside just yet, but how about I invite some people over and we just kind of hang out and get you used to the company of others?” Feferi asked, her voice much sweeter than it was before. Eridan took a bit to respond, but finally he nodded and uncurled himself, turning to Feferi and hugging her, the girl not hesitant to hug him back tightly. Karkat sat on the side of the arm of the couch, looking at the two hugging, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He hated how right Feferi was. He hated the fact that he hated that even more. Most of all, he hated himself. Although he’d never be able to explain why if he was asked, Karkat felt that it was all his fault, that if he had done something, he would have been able to avoid this whole situation.

                After an hour or two, Eridan cheered up a bit and Feferi called over two friends, Sollux and Aradia. They arrived about half an hour later, baring drinks, chips and smiles. Aradia was rather pretty, having long and voluminous black hair, tanned skin, dark brown eyes, a maroon shirt and a knee length skirt. Her eyes were framed with a line of eyeliner on her top lid and mascara and her lips coated in a dark red colour. Sollux had light brown hair, glasses that had frames that were two different colours, red on one side and blue on the other. He had a baggy tee shirt on that hid his thin frame, but not his sharp shoulders, and simple denim pants that were barely held up by his thin hips. His talking displayed teeth that were oversized for his mouth and a bit awkward as well as a tongue that was split down the middle, both things leading to the slight lisp he had. Eridan feigned a smile and welcomed them into his home while Feferi gathered the food they had brought and set it down before going to get serving trays.   
                “I’m very sorry to hear about your loss,” Aradia said as she sat down on the couch next to Eridan. Eridan mumbled a thank you as he tried to scoot over a bit, not sure how he felt about Aradia being so close to him.  
                “Have you had a funeral for him yet?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.  
                “Uh, no.”  
                “AA, don’t do this,” Sollux grumbled as he sat down next to Aradia, putting his hand on her thigh.  
                “Oh, hush, Sollux. A funeral is a very important part of acceptance and such,” she said to Sollux before turning to face Eridan, “I can help you with everything, if you would like!” Feferi came in and began putting food into place, giggling a bit at seeing how eager Aradia was and how uncomfortable Eridan was.  
                “What the fuck? Are you like obsessed with death or somethin’?” Eridan asked, doing his best to scoot farther away from the grinning girl.  
                “She’s not obsessed with it; she’s just comfortable with it. She’s a mortician, as is most of the people in her family for a while, as well as occasionally going off to different adventures and archeological sites,” Feferi explained, finally taking a seat in the chair near the couch. Taking that into consideration, Eridan understood why Sollux would have thought she had died.  
                “Plus she can see ghosts and talk to the dead,” Sollux added, trying to make his voice sound “spooky.” Eridan perked his head up a bit, but tried his best not to let his hopes get up. Karkat, who had been standing around the corner, listening to the conversation, widened his eyes and grinned, knowing that maybe this was his opportunity to say something to Eridan. He ran around the corner and looked for Aradia, figuring it had to be the girl that wasn’t Feferi.   
                “Anyways, do you want him buried or cremated?” Aradia asked, grabbing Eridan’s hands, her eyes staring at Eridan.   
                “Fuck,” Karkat muttered, knowing it was going to take more than that to grab Aradia’s attention.   
                “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it. I thought the hospital took care a’ that stuff. I haven’t even thought a’ what he wanted or what his will said,” Eridan mumbled, looking down at the floor again.   
                “Maybe we could get out a Ouija board, summon him, and ask him,” Sollux teased. Feferi huffed and glared at Sollux while Aradia moved her foot back to kick his shin without looking at him. Karkat rolled his eyes at what the other had said and tried to hold back a chuckle. While it was an asshole thing to say, it was pretty funny.   
                “Hey!” Karkat called out, hoping that would grab Aradia’s attention. She looked over at him, making quick eye contact, but then looking back at Eridan and continuing to talk.   
                “Well, I’ll give you my business card and once you decide, you can call and we can set things up.”  
                “I still don’t know.”  
                “I think having a funeral for him would be great closure for you,” Feferi added. Eridan sighed, looked up, and nodded, finally agreeing to do so.   
                “Hey, bitch who can see dead things, I’m talking to you!” Karkat yelled, getting another glance, but just that.   
                “Where is the bathroom?” Aradia asked.   
                “I’ll show you!” Feferi said, jumping up and heading down the hallway. Aradia followed, staring at Karkat as she walked down the hallway.   
                “So what the fuck happened to your tongue?” Eridan asked, turning to face Sollux, feeling that he should at least attempt to socialize.   
                “What the fuck happened to your face?” Sollux retorted. Eridan stared at Sollux, not expecting him to say such a thing.   
                “Excuse me?”  
                “You heard me. What, am I supposed to treat you special because your boyfriend died?”  
                “Fuck you.”  
                “When and where?”  
                “How are you two doing?” Feferi asked, walking back into the room and taking her seat.   
                “He’s bein’ rude as fuck,” Eridan whined, pouting a bit.  
                “That’s just how he is. Don’t take it as an offense. Besides, he can be quite charming if you give him the chance.”  
                “Thank you, FF.”  
                “Anyways, can you just tell me what the deal is with your weird ass tongue?” Eridan asked, crossing his arms.  
                “Eridan, you can’t expect him to be nice if you aren’t in the first place.” Eridan sighed and rolled his eyes.  
                “Sorry for bein’ rude. May I please hear the story behind your split tongue?” Eridan asked, his voice flat.  
                “When I was a teen, I fell down some stairs and bit a hole through my tongue. As a result, the doc said this was the best way to deal with it. I can still control everything and make them move separate ways,” Sollux explained.  
                “That’s sick,” Eridan said, wrinkling his nose in disgust.  
                “I don’t know, FF and AA seemed to like it,” Sollux said, sticking his tongue out and moving it in a provocative manner as well as winking at Feferi, who let out an “eep” and blushed.  
                “You’re horrible,” Eridan hissed.   
                “You started the horribleness,” Sollux said, trying his best to sound as innocent as possible.

                Aradia wandered into the bathroom and waited about half a minute before sticking her head out into the hallway and motioning for Karkat to come over. Karkat did as he was asked and walked into the bathroom, the door closing behind him.  
                “Well?” she asked, arching an eyebrow at him.  
                “Well what?” Karkat retorted.  
                “You’re the one who wanted to talk to me so badly,” Aradia said, shrugging her shoulders and beginning to talk toward the door again.   
                “No no no no wait!” Karkat exclaimed, reaching out toward Aradia. Aradia giggled and turned to face Karkat.   
                “I had no intentions of leaving.”  
                “What the fuck ever. Anyways, you can see me and hear me, right?”  
                “Well, I would hope so. This conversation would be quite odd if not.”  
                “Look, I want, no, I _need_ to talk to Eridan,” Karkat explained.   
                “I figured as much. I take it you are Karkat?”  
                “Yeah. I’m the asshole you’ve heard so much about.”  
                “I would love to talk to Eridan for you. Once we are done in here, I will explain to Eridan everything and let you know when you can begin speaking,” Aradia said, smiling at ghost.  
                “I don’t get why you’re agreeing to do this for me, but thank you,” Karkat mumbled, walking toward the door.  
                “You two seem so in love, who am I and who is Death to stand in the way of that. Besides, I feel this will make things much, _much_ more interesting,” she said, her grin becoming a bit more sinister.

                Karkat was the first to exit the bathroom, not even bothering to open the door, Aradia coming afterwards, giggling a bit at Karkat. She walked into the living room and stood in front of Eridan, looking him dead in the eyes before speaking.   
                “Eridan, while you may have difficulty believing this, I have spoken to Karkat and he wishes to speak to via myself,” Aradia informed.   
                “If this is your sick idea of a joke, then fuck you,” Eridan growled, narrowing his eyes at the girl in front of him.  
                “It’s not a joke,” she said, glancing over at where Karkat was.  
                “I-is he really here?” Eridan asked, staring at where Aradia had looked. Aradia nodded her head.  
                “So he can hear me?” Aradia looked over at Karkat for confirmation before nodding her head once again.   
                “Tell him I’ve been here this whole time. That I was the one who knocked the pills out of his hand,” Karkat mumbled, walking a bit closer.  
                “He says he’s been here the whole time. He was the one who knocked the pills out of your hands.” Eridan looked at Aradia again, tears welling in his eyes.  
                “Fuck, Kar. I miss you,” Eridan said, wiping the tears from his eyes.   
                “He says he misses you, too. He says he still loves you.”  
                “I still love you, too. So much. I never stopped. I never will stop,” Eridan croaked out, his words shaky with his tears weighing them down.  
                “He wants you to know it’s not your fault. He says he wants you to be happy. He misses your smile. He misses your laugh. You know the one. The one that very few have heard,” Aradia relayed, her own chocolate eyes beginning to fill with tears. Eridan nodded, tears now streaming down his cheeks.   
                “It should’ve been me. I should’ve been the one to die, not you.”  
                “That’s awfully selfish. You would have rather him be left all alone?” Sollux mumbled, getting a chip thrown at him from Feferi.   
                “Don’t ever say that. Don’t be sorry. Continue living. Do that for me. Keep in mind what Feferi said earlier,” Aradia said for Karkat, ignoring what Sollux had said, her voice trembling with tears.   
                “I’ll do it. Just for you, Kar. Only for you.”  
                “I wish I could hold him and kiss him right now,” Karkat muttered. Tears streaming down her cheeks, Aradia pulled Eridan up and hugged him tight before pulling his face down and kissing him for a few seconds. Everyone, Eridan included, looked at Aradia with shock. As she pulled away, she bore no resemblance of being embarrassed or being sorry.   
                “He said he wishes he could hold you and kiss you, so I did what I could for him. I’m sorry it wasn’t him. Also, I chose to do such a rash thing due to being overwhelmed with emotions.” Eridan said nothing and sat down again, his head now spinning.   
                “AA, c’mon. I think it’s time we go,” Sollux said, standing up and holding his hand out for Aradia. Aradia held her hand out and handed Eridan a business card before grabbing Sollux’s hand and walking out the door. Once the two were gone, Feferi went over and locked the door before sitting next to Eridan.   
                “I know this must be a lot to take in, but-”  
                “I think I’m goin’ to go lie down an’ think about things for a bit,” Eridan said, standing up and walking off. Feferi nodded and chose not to go after him, knowing that no good would come of it. She had to leave him to his own sulking. Karkat plopped down next to Feferi. He was rather excited that for once he was able to actually talk to Eridan, even if it was through someone else, and he even gave him a hug and a kiss, even though it was once again through someone else. The two sat there, Feferi feeling uncertain and depressed, Karkat feeling hopeful and elated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, sorry if Aradia seems ooc. I'm not very used to writing for her. Also, I tried to portray Eridan and Sollux's relationship as I see it: Sollux teasing and egging Eridan on and being somewhat rude and Eridna responding in anger and hateful words.

**Author's Note:**

> Since I have a nasty habit of missing them, be sure and let me know if I've made any mistakes C:


End file.
